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Banking Bill

The law is there to express an intention. Suppose the Bill were about shipbuilding, and we knew that one of our ships had suffered tremendous difficulties with its construction. The Minister replied to the noble Baroness, Lady Noakes, that the Bill cannot anticipate future difficulties with the banks, which the Government of the day will have to deal with, and we are simply dealing with the situation as it is now. Would it not be wise, while legislation on banking is going through, to give some thought to the difficulties that have arisen and to which she has drawn attention, instead of simply saying, ““We can’t anticipate future dangers because the ship is sailing at the moment, although I know it’s leaking and we can’t get to port yet””? Would it not be wise to go back to the drawing board and find out whether the way the Bill was drafted is right?